Wolf Song
by Bluey7759
Summary: One hundred years after the war Calla and Shay fought together in their desendents now have to fight their own battle. Story is better than summary.
1. Chapter 1

****Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Andrea Cremer's book Nightshade. All the other characters are mine****

When I was young I would sit out on my porch in a rickety old rocking chair that my mother used when I was a baby. As I would sit that old chair I listened to the nearby wolves harmonize a good-night song to the moon. Then everything changed, the wolf song began to grow distant and lonely soon their voices were gone. If only I had listened to the changing howls then maybe I wouldn't be where I am now.


	2. Chapter 2

"Cadet number 45681, long time no see," General Smut-Face-Lard Ass started to say to me with the slightest smirk, which be his actual smile. I guess I never know how my lovely superior was going to finish that sentence, considering the look on his face after I spat in it. To my utter surprise the General started laughing, "Still full of spunk I see, you haven't changed much my young daughter."

There was a collective gasp followed by hurried, hushed murmurs circulating through my fellow cadets after the Lard-Ass's shocking news. Ignoring the bewildered stares, I gathered up my bags, turned on my heel and left to the the barracks. "You will regret doing that my dear Cassidy this isn't your home at that pathetic ranch. This is the real world and you _will _follow orders!" barked my father. Now he sounded like the way I remembered him.

The barracks were all that I recalled them to be, dark, cramped, and the prominent odor of fear mixed with whiskey. The barracks housed over 4,000 cadets, give or take thirty generals as well as other superiors, four nurses for those who went mad while we spent six months training to kill the Interlopers who we have been at war with for the past ten years, and finally my favorite roomies the Protectors. I cringed at the thought of Protectors, they were the only ones who could figure out what I really am, a wolf, well at least half wolf. Shaking off the though I trudged on my way to find my bunk, kicking the various remains of the previous occupants out of my way.

After what seemed like hours I finally found my bunk on the fifth floor. Wearily I climbed onto my flat mattress and attempted to get some sleep before the other cadets along with everyone else came in. Sleep itself was but a dream, but my sub-conscious was plagued with my dark past. _It was ten years ago, I was twelve. My mother had just told me who I really was and what my fate would be if I ever told anybody. Three months later she mysteriously disappeared but, I've always known what really happened she was murdered by those who we put our trust into. For the next ten years I raised myself and taught myself how to successfully hide who I really was from those who wanted to kill my kind. Then bad luck came marching up my to my home on the ranch where I grew up. I had been forced to join the army to kill the Interlopers, the people who are like me. _

Still deep in thought I never heard everyone come in, I ignored them which would have worked perfectly except then I smelled the stench of whiskey mixed with vomit. I opened my eyes and looked up only to see the ugly, beaten down face of my father looking back at me. "Did you enjoy your sleep my little mutt?" he snarled at me, I wasn't sure if he knew that I was a wolf or not. Smirking at him I bluntly replied "Well I was having nightmares of your face but then I realized that I was awake." To my own amusement the room got silent, waiting nervously to see how this worked out. My father's face contorted into a look of pure hate. Next thing I knew I was on the floor with a welt on my cheek. Staring at him in disbelief, I slowly got up and then leaned in a mere five inches from his face. Before I had got my bearings I punched him hard in the jaw, hard enough to make him fall back unconscious. _Damn _I thought to myself, _ now I have done it. There is no way that I'll be able to hide my true identity now._

All eyes turned to me with realization of who I really was. The choices I had at the moment were to fight and lose, be killed, or to run. In the end I chose the latter, shifting forms I bounded through the room. Before anyone could react I was on the first floor of the barracks, I decided to wait one, two seconds and then I heard the nearby shouts, "She went this way" and my favorite "Get the guns" as if a simple training gun could really kill me. I figured that it was better to start running again, because being shot full of holes didn't sound very fun. I had made it half way to the gates when I skidded to a stop, I was trapped the walls were filled with snipers and guns that could kill me as well as Protectors that could kill me as well. "Come on Cassidy shift back and we won't hurt you, we only want to talk." said one Protector who I reconginzed as my father's best friend. _Yeah, sure you just want to talk, that'll happen when pigs fly _I thought grimly to myself. I really got myself into a bad situation this time.

I quickly looked around praying for a miracle, the snipers were raising their guns I had about thirty seconds to live. Then as if right on cue the wall exploded. When the dust settled I saw them, the wolves, the Interlopers. _"This way quickly, watch out for the Protectors." _one thought towards me. I snapped out of my trance and darted toward the pack making presise movements to avoid the Protectors who were closing in on me. We had been running for hours, when we finally stopped, the two alphas shifted into human form the rest of the pack and I followed suit. My mind was racing with questions but before I could ask them the alpha female stepped forward and with a what I think might have been a smile saying " It's about time we found you! What the hell were you thinking agreeing to join the army?"


	3. Chapter 3

" Looking for me," I gaped at them, " Why are you looking for me and more importantly how exactly did you find me? "

" Your questions will be answered soon. Right now we must get to the Burrows, if you would follow orders then we won't have a problem. Understand?" the she-wolf sternly replied. As if I was about to take orders from her, alpha or not.

"No," I paused for a moment to see the reaction that my reply got. As I expected the nine other pack members stiffened bracing themselves for a fight to the death. " I am not going anywhere until you give me some ans-."

"Listen unless you have a death wish then stop talking and obey orders." The alpha growled cutting me off, flashing her now sharpened teeth at me.

"Well since you put it that way." I curtly replied.

"Okay," a short blonde girl spoke up, obviously relived that there wasn't any sort of bloodbath occuring, "Now that minor dilemma is out of the way we should get out of here before the Protectors show up

Shifting forms we started to head East. By the time we stopped running it was late in the day, judging by the postion of the sun it was around five. The loud mouth she wolf had chosen a meadow surrounded by a thicket with a small pond in the middle, yipping with excitment the pack shifted into humans and ran to into the water. Immensly confused and exhausted from the day's events, I shifted and sat on the beach and tried to figure out what had just happened and what I was going to do next.

"I wanted to apologize for yelling at you when we were leaving the Fort, I trust that you understand that we had to get out alive and before the Protectors got a hold of us, " the Alpha kindly said as she sat down with me. " My name's Cora by the way. My pack is small but we're fierce warriors each with our own special skill, the pudgy one climbing the tree is Ralph he is a little strange but very smart. The red headed boy and girl are twins, the girl's Cate and the boy's Xander their skill is sneak attacks, working as one. The boy with the glasses and book is Tor, he packs a ferocious bite don't mess with him. The short blonde girl is Bri, she is my second she is greatly skilled and being quick and silent. Then there is Marci, the one with the freckles. She is blind but my best fighter she relies on sound and the vibrations that an attacker makes when moving, because of that she is unstoppable always a few steps ahead of everyone else. The two fighting are Michael and Lane they're fearless and will do whatever it takes to protect those who are on our side."

"Okay it's nice knowing who everyone is now," we sat in silence for what seemed like eternity then I spoke up asking the question that had been on my mind since I met this strange group. " How did you all find eachother? Last I heard the last official pack exsisted over one hundred years ago."

Cora watched her pack swim in the pond enjoying the short time of leisure. I could tell by the look on her face I was bringing up awful memories but before I could tell her that she didn't need to tell me she snapped out of trance and began to speak.

"Bri and I have known eachother since we were young. As the war got progressively worse we left our homes, and famalies knowing it was the only way to keep them safe. We haven't heard from them since, it has been two years. As we headed west we gathered information along the way about the war and who or I should say what the so called "Protectors" really are and why the humans are now fighting along side them. But to answer your question we found the twins first, they were performers and doing a good job at hiding their true identies from the humans. Until some idiot kid pissed Cate off and she turned it front of a cheering crowd, the humans began to advance on Cate that's when Xander turned as well and killed one of the humans that had a gun pointed at his sister. After that a riot started and that was when Bri and I pulled the two of them out of the middle of the fight. A few weeks later we found Ralph. Michael, and Lane in a abandonded school searching for food and shelter and possibly an ally. All of their parents were killed trying to protect them. Lane had two sisters as well they were also killed, Ralph and his brother were seperated when their town was bombed and Michael's brother turned against his family. We met Tor sometime later he was being held for questioning but we freed him and ran. Then finally we found Marci, she had been living the best life out of all of us. She had a nice home, parents who loved her very much but knew nothing of who she really is since she was adopted and the orphange had no records on her. To go along with the loving parents she had a boyfriend who she thought she could trust. One day she showed him who she really is and he responded by blinding her, she never has gone into detail on how he did it. After she was blinded she stumbled back to her home, her parents were about to call the police but she convinced them not to by showing them her wolf form. They were shocked at first but then helped her escape, she hasn't seen or heard of them since that day," Cora sighed "I've figured that all that has happened to us is what makes us strong and a true pack."

"It seems as if all of us have been affected by the war in the same way, we have all lost someone that we loved," I murmered not really talking to anyone in particular. "You said that found out about the Protectors, who they really are and why the humans are so afraid of them. I also need to know why it is so important that you found me, I'm no one special. I'm just a General and Rancher's daughter."

"You really don't know do you?" Cora asked obviously shocked about how little I knew about the world that I am part of.

Before I could say anything Michael came running up laughing as he called to the rest of the pack who were still in the water, "Hey, puppies Cora is going to tell us a bedtime story!" The rest of the pack came out of the water laughing and pushing at eachother along the way, I was jealous of how happy they all were despite having to lose everything.

"Hey Cor, can we build a fire? Please, it's freezing!" Bri pleaded.

"No, we undoubtbly are being followed. This thicket can only hide us for so long, building a fire will bring our death," Cora replied. " And it's you own fault, you know perfectly well that it gets cold here at night not my problem that you're freezing now.

"Fine, you're right we're wrong," Bri half laughed. "Now can we please tell us our bedtime story, nothing like a good story to put all the little wolves to sleep."

"Okay, Okay sit down," Cora said with a laugh, then turned to me as the pack got settled around her and I could see how serious she really was. "Cassidy how much do you know about the war?"

"Not much, I just know that I started around the time that I was born. My mother is dead because of it, the Protectors want to capture me, most humans are cowards, my father is a heart less son of a bitch and the list of people that want me dead doubles everyday."

"Well, that is an interesting way to put it but, yes that is basically it and of course there is much more than just what you probably know."


	4. Chapter 4

When Cora was sure that everyone was settled she began to speak "The war officially began on August 16, 2108 your birthday but, the threat of was was eighty years before. The day that the Scoin died, Shay Doran. I assume that you already know of Shay and how he helped Calla Tor's pack and the Searchers end the War of All Against All. When Shay died the Keepers regained their powers, and wanted they wanted revenge for "the wrong that was done to them" as they put it. using their powers they created the creatures called Protectors, they're similar to the Keepers old body guards the wraiths in the sense that they feed off of pain and sorrow. Except now they do not need to be summounded by a Keeper, they look and smell like humans and were given an awful power. If you let a Protector get a hold of you and if you don't get away in time they can take away your ability to turn into a wolf. The Keepers maipulated the humans into thinking that we are the evil ones and will kill everyone so that we're the dominate race. Any human that saw past their lies and fought against Keepers in the past was brutally killed and many times their famalies were killed as well whether they were part of the fight or not. After a few years the humans became fearful, to afraid to fight back. Many of our kind have been killed, there is no more than fifty of us left. The ones that weren't killed had the power taken awayand the others fleed the providence and went to place just North of here over the peaks, a place called the Burrow. That is where we are headed, the remaining wolves are building an army to fight agaisnt the Keepers and anyone else who is agaisnt us." Cora had stopped and asked if I had any questions and to make sure that I hadn't gotten lost.

"Why am I so important then? Like I said before my mother owned a ranch and my father is the worst person on the planet" I asked, the question had been inside my head since I left the Fort.

"You're the grandaughter of Calla and Shay and for that reason we know that you're the Scoin now, like your mother before you. Withour your help we will never win this war and our kind will cease to exsist."

I sat there in shock for what seemed like forver Cora's words buzzed throught my head, the idea that I was the Scoin and how many people were depending on me to aid them in the battle was almost to much.

"I think that is enough for tonight, if you want to know more or-" Cora started before I cut her off.

"No, I just want to sleep, it's been a long day. I don't need to know anything more for now."

Cora nodded laid down and went to sleep, the rest of the pack had already fallen asleep except for Michael who smiled weakly at me and moved over so that he was sitting beside me. We sat in silence for an hour or so then he spoke up.

"If you don't mind me asking how did you end up at the Fort?"

When I didn't respond he apologized, "Sorry, if it's to much for you after what Cora told you I-"

"It's fine, it is just something that I wish never happened" I told him.


	5. Chapter 5

"I was twelve when my mother told me that I was a descendent of the Guardians but she never told me anything more of my heritage than that. She never got the chance. That same day she told me that I could never tell anyone of who I really am and that on my sixteenth birthday I would have to jon to military and be trained to fight my own kind. Three months later she disappered, I don't know who she was taken but I do know that she was killed. From that point on I raised myself and kept the Ranch going. Three weeks ago I was taken from my home and brought to the Fort. I kept to myself and made sure that everyone knew that I followed my own rules, because of this I got into trouble frequently . Shortly before you, Cora and the rest of the pack came to the Fort I had broken just about every rule." I half laughed.

"Your mother, " Michael began. "Was she a wolf?"

"She used to be but that was before my time. She told me that she lost her ability to chnage in battle but I now know the truth, it was my father who told the Protectors of her and he is the reason that she is dead."

"How do you know that your father is the reason that your mother is dead? He didn't kill her did he?"

"He hated my mother and he hates me. My mother and him were never married, I was an accident. My mother tried to convince him that the wolves were good and could help. But he wouldn't listen, he called his friend who is a Protector over to rid her of her power. He left that night and never returned. My father is the only one that would have a reason to kill me mother, that is how I know he killed her.

"All that happened before you were born though, how do you know about it?" Michael asked looking very confused.

"I had a lot of time to myself, and I found her journals one day in the back of her closet one day, I could only read one of them the rest were in Latin."

"Do you still have any of the journals? Tor can read Latin he could probably tell us what is written in them."

"Yeah, I do but how will we convince Cora to go back to my home? It is over 2,000 miles away from here and to get there we either have to go through Calbane of past the Fort," I explained. "And I doubt that she would agree to doing either."

"We'll figure something out in the morning, we should probably get some sleep. We have to get up early to convince her." Michael replied with a yawn.

I laid on the grass staring at the stars above me, wishing that I could see my mother once again, to hear her voice it was nights like these when I thought of my past that were the hardest to find peace at mind. But with the knowledge that Tor could read her journals gave me hope and enough peace at mind so that I could sleep. My dreams were filled with visions of my past, and for the first time in years I didn't have nigthmares. Instead I relived every good memory, then my mother appeared but before she could speak to me, my dreams were filled with screams and shouting. Before I had a chance to react to the sudden change in the dream i was kicked awake only to find that the scream had been real.

* * *

><p><em>Not sure if this chapter makes any sense, I'll reread it later and revise it if it doesn't.<em>


	6. Chapter 6

"Why are we just sitting here," Xander yelled trying to hold back his tears. "My sister has been taken by the Keepers, she could be dead and we're just sitting here. "

"Xander, I know how much this hurts you but we don't know where they took her. There is nothing we can do. I'm sory." Cora told him calmy, bringing him into a comforting hug.

Xander cryed silently into her shoulder, the rest of the pack sat around with expressionless faces. They had come so quietly and it happened so quickly we never had the chance to fight back. I shuttered at the memory of Cate's face when she realized that there was nothing that anybody could do to help her. Mchael had put his arm around me muttering things like "It's going to alright" and "Don't worry" I shrugged his arm off me, Xander was right sitting here doing nothing wouldn't get Cate back. We had to get moving before we lost trach of the Keepers.

"Xander is right, sitting here and doing nothing won't bring Cate back" I spoke up.

"Where do we begin looking though? They could have taken her anywhere." Mara replied, she had a point.

"Yes, they could have taken her anywhere that they pleased but, they won't. Cate most likely was taken somewhere within a two hundred mile radius of the city. They would want to keep her close to the capital but not close enough to the point that Calbane would be in danger if an invasion," I said walking around looking for a clue to what direction that they could have gone in. "What I think that we should do is head back to my ranch. We'd be safe there and we'll be closer to the city. Plus I have a radio that picks up radio frequencies we could use it to hear war updates and who they have taken prisoner."

"It's a risk but it is the only plan that we have," Cora said getting up. "How far do you think your home is from here?"

"From the ranch to Calbane it is one hundred miles, from here to the ranch it is probabaly close to three hundred. About a four day journey."

"Then we better get moving," Cora replied shifting into wolf form.

After eveyone had shifted Cora through her head back and howled a mournful but at the same time joyous howl telling Cate that we wete on our way, the rest of the pack joined in. Then we took off to the North-West towards my home.


End file.
